I used to have terrible Wi-Fi connectivity issues in my bedroom and whenever I took my phone into the kitchen, my internet speeds would throttle leading to poor browsing and streaming experience. So, I bought the Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2 to solve his problem and it worked like a charm, it at least doubled my Wi-Fi speeds and provided a stable connection. Check out our Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Review for all the details.
It was a great quality of life improvement and when Xiaomi announced the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro, I had to get it. The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro is the successor to Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2. It comes with a new design, new features and costs slightly more. But is the increase in price worth spending the extra cash? Read through this review and find it for yourself.
After having reviewed the Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender based on various factors like design, performance, function, features, performance and price; my team and I found that:
The Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender is one of the best of it’s kind in its price segment. It doubles the user’s internet speed and make it’s extremely stable, making it perfect for gamers and those with multiple smart devices in their home. It also happens to accommodate over 100 devices and expands the coverage of the internet by two times.
Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Review
Inside the box
The Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Pro comes in a nice white box with pictures of the product on it. You will be greeted to the instructions manual when you open the box. Under the instructions box, you will find the MI Wi-Fi Extender Pro. There is nothing else in the box, except for packaging material. The instruction manual only arrives in Chinese, which is a bummer and it also makes the installation process hard for the less tech-savvy. This review will have you covered as I will explain how to set up the MI Wi-Fi Extender Pro and use it.
Design
The design and build quality of the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro is really good. It comes only in black color but this makes it blend well with its surrounding. It is clean, simple and minimalistic which a lot of you will appreciate. The texture of the Matte plastic on the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro gives it a premium feel. It is small enough to fit in your hand with two antennas sticking out from either side. It looks elegant and simple with the Mi logo on the front and a small LED notification light below it.
As a convenience measure, Xiaomi has moved away from the USB connector to a Type A power socket connecter. While this is surely more convenient for China and countries with Type A power socket, it can be less convenient for other country residents. This also makes the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro less portable; you could slip the previous version Mi Wi-Fi Extenders into your pocket or bag easily.
The USB connector in previous Mi Wi-Fi Extenders allowed you to use it with power banks, laptops etc., for versatility. The advantage of the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro’s Type A power connector is that you can plug it in a socket and forget about it, instead of wanting to connect it to a USB port every time you want to use it.
The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro also comes with a reset switch on the bottom. You will need a SIM ejector tool or a needle to access it as the switch is inside. This can be a little inconvenient when you have to reset the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro, it would have been better if the reset switch was on the front similar to the one found in Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2.
Specifications of the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro
- Product Model – R03
- Dimensions – 80×54×70 mm
- CPU – MT7628K 580 MHz
- ROM – 2MB
- RAM – 8MB
- Antenna Type – 2 external antennas
- Wireless Standards – IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- Signal Rate – 2.4 GHz, up to 300 Mbps
- Wireless Security – WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK encryption
- Power Supply – 100-240 V/0.35 A
Features
- Comes with 2*2 external antenna for good signal strength, connectivity and coverage.
- It is easy to set up and use with the Mi Home app.
- Up to 300 Mbps Speed with 2.4 GHz connectivity.
- The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro offers better coverage, eliminate dead zones and boosts your wireless network.
- The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro can support up to 16 devices connected simultaneously.
Setup
If you are familiar with the previous Mi Wi-Fi Extender’s this will be a cakewalk for you as it is the same process. But if you are not, follow this process:
- Plug the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro into a power socket, if you don’t have a Type A power socket, use a converter.
- Download the Mi Home App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, if you don’t have the app.
- Open the Mi Home App and search for Wi-Fi Extender Pro in the device list.
- Now all you have to do is let the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro connect to your home Wi-Fi’s network and wait.
- The LED indicator on the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro will change from a flashing yellow to a solid blue to let you know that it is connected.
- Try this process again if it doesn’t connect successfully.
Also, the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro doesn’t support 5GHz Wi-Fi, so make sure to select the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi option when you set up. The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro will stay paired to your home network even after you unplug it. To change the Wi-Fi network or disconnect it from your network, long-press the reset button with a pin or a SIM ejector tool. The LED light will change from blue to yellow to notify you that it is ready for setup again.
Other Functions
You can enable Wi-Fi roaming in the app, this will allow you to use the same network name as the original Wi-Fi network. This will allow for a seamless transition between the router and the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro when you are moving around the house.
You can also change the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro’s network name and password from the App.
You can also check the devices that are connected to the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro in the Mi Home App.
Performance
This is the most important part of any review, the performance of the device in question. Without further ado, the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro performs as expected for its price. This is a given for any Xiaomi product, they all perform well for their price. The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro performs like its predecessors which is a bummer because it costs slightly more. It still features only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi like the Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2. But similar 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi extenders are priced at least $30 which makes the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro a really good deal at $15.
The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro will offer you around 20-30 Mbps of download/upload speeds. Don’t be alarmed, Xiaomi didn’t lie to you. The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro does support 300 Mbps Wi-Fi but it is limited to 30 Mbps speeds because of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi support. The bottleneck here is the 2.4 GHz limitation.
My router gives a max of 30-35 Mbps on a regular day when I am next to it. And this is only in the living room.
When I move to other rooms like the kitchen or my bedroom the speed reduces to 6 Mbps max. This makes the internet experience unusable with very poor browsing and video streaming quality.
But using the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro gives a nice boost to the Wi-Fi speed in my kitchen and bedroom depending on its location. I now get up to 18 Mbps speed in my kitchen or bedroom which is a significant boost in performance. It is a game-changer given the distance of the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro from my main router. Check out our Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Review for all the details.
This helps in providing a way better internet browsing and streaming experience compared to before. Overall, it is a good performing product, though it only performs in line with its predecessor the Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2.
Final Thoughts
The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro is an excellent Wi-Fi extender when compared to its more expensive competitors. The only problem is the closest competitor for the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro is Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2 from Xiaomi, which comes in cheaper and performs the same. Guess this is a problem with making many quality products for Xiaomi. I would still choose the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro if convenience and looks are of importance for you. The Mi Wi-Fi Extender also offers slightly better range because of the dual antenna.
The Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro is still one of the best Wi-Fi extenders for its price and it is a great product in its own right. If you don’t care about aesthetics and if you don’t mind finding a USB port every time, go for the Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2. But if you want a device that you can connect once and forget about it and get seamless, good connectivity, go for the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro. It does all this with some extra range and at the same time looks aesthetically pleasing. It is worth the price tag in my opinion.
The only winner here is the consumer. This makes Xiaomi an amazing manufacturer for making quality products at different price points. If you care only about performance, go for the Mi Wi-Fi Extender 2. But if you care about performance and everything else with it, go for the Mi Wi-Fi Extender Pro. Check out our Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Review for all the details.
How does Xiaomi WiFi extender work?
The Mi Wi-Fi Range Extender Pro essentially offers three things. It doubles your internet coverage, boosts speeds and provides a stable connection. It basically, works as a boost to your current router. Additionally, it can help you easily connect to the internet. All you have to do is place the extender near the router, turn the power on and wait for the yellow indicator light to start flashing. Then simply scan the QR code to install the app and follow the command prompts. Check out our Xiaomi Wi-Fi Extender Review for all the details.
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